If you had less than two euros to spend today, what would you buy? People living in extreme poverty in developing countries spend 1,5 euros on food. With the remaining 0,3 euros, they are expected to purchase all other things that they need.

The good news is that fewer and fewer people in developing countries are facing this situation. There has been a significant reduction in extreme poverty in the world over the past 25 years. In 2015, one third of the population of developing countries lived in extreme poverty, compared with 47 per cent in 1990. Malnutrition nearly halved over the same period: Between 1990 and 1992, a total of 23,3 per cent of the people living in developing countries suffered from malnutrition. By 2014–2016, the figure had dropped to 12,9 per cent.

Most of the progress has taken place since the year 2000, when the UN member states, UN organizations and international financing institutions adopted the Millennium Development Goals and pledged to achieve them. The aim of the Millennium Development Goals was to solve the major development problems of the world by the year 2015. They also guided Finland’s development cooperation.

Photo: Elvi Rista, graphics: Juho Hiilivirta